Traditional Balsamic Vinegar: a microbiological overviw

Over time, the name “balsamic vinegar” has acquired an important trade value and is now being usedto generally designate sweet and sour condiments with high viscosity and dark/brown color. Balsamiccondiments could be grouped in four different categories: generic balsamic vinegars, balsamic vinegarwith appellation of origin (PDO and Protected Geographical Indication or PGI), balsamic sauces, anddressing (Giudici et al. 2009). In particular “Balsamic Vinegar of Modena” (BVM) is an industrial classof special vinegar legally recognized since 1965 and recently granted European PGI status (CommissionRegulation EC No 583/2009). Despite their similar appellation, TBV and BVM are very distinct productsdue to different manufacturing technologies and starting materials. BVM is produced by aging a blendof cooked must and wine vinegar with addition of caramel, for a short time (minimum 2 months). Due tothis different technology, BVM cannot duplicate the complexity flavor and the higher viscosity of TBVand it meets consumer’s expectations to buy cheaper vinegar compared to TBV (Giudici et al. 2009a).This chapter aims to describe the main technological and microbiological steps of TBV processing,underlying the role of microbial transformations in determining its quality.